I arrived with my business partner Jostein Vaernes from Norway in San Diego on December 21, 1987 for the first time. It was a gorgeous day with clear blue skies. We were supposed to go Acapulco but decided to stay in San Diego. Prior to coming here, I had visited 70 countries, and lived in several by then but I had never experienced such a fine weather in winter months. I am settled in San Diego since 1999, and rarely have a desire to travel any more. There was a time when I was covering nearly 20 countries a year.

San Diego is the second largest city in California. Blue skies keep watch on 70 miles of beaches. It has a gentle Mediterranean climate with average temperature around 68 degrees Fahrenheit through out the year. It is bordered by Mexico, the Pacific Ocean, the Anza-Borrego Desert, and the Laguna Mountains. San Diego County’s 4,200 square miles offer immense options for many sporting activities, business and pleasure.

San Diego is a great place for out door activity throughout the year as it seldom rains. I do about 8 miles of power walking every day, and I feel great. With the current crisis in the health care system in America, it has become even more important to look after one’s health. Health care is the most important domestic issue.

I have completed a book titled, “Solving the American Health Care Crisis”, which will be published in early part of 2008. Most of American decision makers are in a state of denial about the sorry state of health care system here. Many of them consistently claim that the United States has ‘the greatest health care system in the world’. That claim is hard to support, when America spends over 16% of Gross National Product (GNP) in health care, but more than 46 million Americans have no health insurance and millions are under-insured. San Diego has a large service industry, I believe over 90 percent of employees have no health insurance at their work place.

Other wealthy nations like Japan, Australia, Canada, and rich European nations spend between 8 to 11% of GNP in health care and enjoy universal health care coverage. United States is the only rich country that does not provide universal health care coverage to its population. Surprisingly, the citizens of the wealthiest country in the history of the world have a lower life expectancy rate, higher rates of heart disease and cancer, and an infant mortality rate that is twice as high as other rich industrialized nations. Even Cuba has a lower infant mortality rate than the United States according to CIA Fact Book.

America spends much more and gets much less in return than other affluent western nations when it comes to health care spending. American policymakers should stop bragging about their current health care system, and start acting to find real solutions to the health care crisis. It is expected that the United States health care spending would reach nearly 20% of GNP within next 10 years, which is unsustainable. According to World Health Organization (WHO), America is number 1 in obesity, number 35 in delivery of health care system, and number 54 tied with Fiji in access to health care.

The above facts are well known amongst the policy makers but are not really known amongst the general population in the US.

The escalating cost of health care for county employees past and present has lead to serious budget and deficit problems for San Diego County.

San Diegans are in a unique position to stay healthy, and limit their visit to doctors and avoid taking pills if they just use the temperate climate to stay healthy. Here are my suggestions for individuals to live healthy lives.

Eating healthy diet, at regular times, is important. Avoid fatty and junk foods.

Regular exercise is essential. It can be walking, swimming, cycling, hiking, surfing, and playing any sporty games or any form of workout preferably out doors. For exercising, San Diegans have a unique opportunity in the temperate climate we have here.

Avoidance of stress and conflict is also important part of healthy living. Think positively in resolving a problem or a situation.

Mike Leavitt, Secretary for Health and Human Resources, is already encouraging beverage and snack industry, as well as marketing and media groups, about how to create a “culture of wellness” – essentially healthy living styles.

In most OECD countries, spending on health care accounted for more than 90% of total health spending, while spending on promotion activities for healthy living styles represented about 5% of the total health care spending (OECD, 2003d). The promotion of ‘healthy living activities’ are much below 5% in the United States according to the same OECD report.

To encourage healthy living styles among the young, it is essential that public and private sectors educate children in schools, and population in general for the benefits of daily exercise and healthy eating. The campaign for exercise and healthy diet must be conducted consistently and with more vigor and similar to previous campaigns about the harmful effects of cigarette smoking, and stressing the need to wear seat belts.

President Clinton was a regular jogger during his years in office but he often ate substantial amount of fast food and was known to absorb double portions of burgers and chips, and other fast foods. A few years after his Presidency, he had to go through a quadruple heart by pass surgery. Doctors mostly related his heart disease to unhealthy food habits. He now takes a healthy diet. In the last few years, he has actively been promoting benefits of healthy diet and food in schools.

Stress and personal conflicts in daily life contribute to illnesses. People can lessen or even eliminate stress and conflicts if they think positively, and approach each problem or issue with view to resolving it. John Robbins, resident of San Diego and author of ‘Healthy at 100’ writes in his book that “It has been said that we can destroy ourselves with negativity just as effectively as with bombs. People don’t grow old, when they stop growing, they become old.”

Umang Malhotra is an entrepreneur and author of “Individual, Society, and the World” published in 2004. Book titled, “Solving the American Health Care Crisis” is with Publishers and will be published in early part of 2008.